The minister reaffirmed the Department’s dedication to ensuring that stipends reach beneficiaries promptly while maintaining fiscal discipline.
The Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) has dismissed allegations circulating on social media that it failed to process payments for Education Assistants (EAs) and General Education Assistants (GEAs) under the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) Phase V.
Minister of Employment and Labour Nomakhosazana Meth said the claims were “spurious” and misleading, adding that the department remains fully committed to the programme, which aims to tackle youth unemployment and support schools across South Africa.
‘Payments depend on DBE compliance’
Meth explained that the payment process for the BEEI is governed by a Multiparty Funding Agreement (MFA) signed between the Department of Basic Education (DBE), the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).
She said that, according to clauses 6.6.3 and 7.1 of the MFA, verified monthly attendance registers must be submitted before any funds can be released.
“These conditions ensure transparency and accountability, safeguarding both the beneficiaries and the integrity of government funding processes,” said Meth.
The Department contributes over R4 billion in funding toward the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative, which supports the EAs and GEAs programme.
To date, the UIF has already transferred R1.956 billion as the first tranche on 27 June 2025 to enable project rollout across all nine provinces.
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September payments delayed by missing documents
However, the Minister confirmed that payments for September could not be processed because the DBE had not submitted all the required documents on time.
“For the month of September, the DBE did not submit complete supporting documents, which include the attendance registers, on time,” Meth said.
“The UIF requires these registers for verification in line with the multiparty funding agreement to process invoices for payment of 158,000 beneficiaries from 20,000 schools.”
She said that a meeting between the DBE, DEL, and UIF was held on 29 September 2025, during which the DBE agreed to send the outstanding documentation.
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Funds will be released once due process is followed
Meth assured assistants awaiting their stipends that payments would be processed as soon as the DBE submits and the DEL verifies the attendance registers.
“The Department stands ready to process the payment the moment we receive and verify the attendance registers from the DBE,” she said.
The Minister also made it clear that the Department could not release funds without meeting the legal and contractual requirements.
“Releasing the funds without due process would undermine good governance, expose the UIF and the Department to audit findings and irregular expenditure, and compromise the PFMA principles that bind all government entities,” said Meth.
She added that compliance with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and Treasury Regulations is not bureaucratic red tape, but a duty to protect public funds.
Call for restraint and cooperation
Meth appealed to all parties to avoid inflammatory statements and instead work together to resolve the administrative delays.
“While compliance must be upheld, I am deeply conscious of the hardship experienced by thousands of young people awaiting their stipends,” she said.
“We urge the DBE to accelerate the collection and submission of outstanding attendance registers in order for the UIF to process the second tranche without delay once compliance is met.”
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Commitment to empowerment
The minister reaffirmed the Department’s dedication to ensuring that stipends reach beneficiaries promptly while maintaining fiscal discipline.
“We are committed to ensuring that stipends reach beneficiaries promptly, but in a manner that does not compromise the principles of accountability and fiscal discipline,” Meth said.
She concluded by reiterating her Department’s support for the initiative.
“I hereby reaffirm our dedication to the BEEI and to all South Africans who depend on such programmes for both empowerment and opportunity. Our mission remains twofold: to uphold social justice and to preserve sound financial governance in equal measure.”
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